We Leaned on Each Other To Survive

truggled in the city and the fifth year

here I was employed. One day, on my way home aft

ked eyes with passing pedestrians and silently pl

and finally spoke up for me. "Hey, don't

Who'd want her anyway?"

erwise, how would I car

that huge hole in her pants.

my backside and laughed as he said, "Damn, you walked around at such

t evening when a nail sticking out of a table

ecome evidenc

hurled it at the thug

rge from the light itself. He stood firmly in front of me with some dis

ps. The boss had thrown

ding. The rock I had thrown earlier had left a bloody gash there. The blood tri

nd, the city lights sparkled, and the river below reflected their gl

The darkness seemed to be swallow

ss hand in hand. Scolding, beatings

ped apartment building where I li

bridge near my building. His head was covered wit

e. "Why are you

care. "I've got nowhere else to go. The boss

ded to raise a guinea pig, so Ryan

and gestured for him to go in. H

iddle. You can stay here with

I might be a bad

nd unconsciously brushed

a stray dog for food when I was a little girl.

el his gaze on me from behind, but I couldn

the night before, I never would have known he had been

ents in the restaurant and even as

a ray of sunlight cutting thro

ed defiance the night before, we seemed to have forged a bo

n, his eyes sparkled as he motio

donut from the pocket of his worn jeans and hand it to me. "You d

yesterday evening. The plate had been piled high with unto

ually tossed into the slo

roke it in half, and handed one

twelve dollars. It was an

me I ate something

before, there was a broken blade. By some cruel twist o

rant. By the time Ryan and I walked out of the restroom after w

n. The boy's dark eyes peeked out from u

s, he shouted, "T

cing, and it cut through the noise

lled me into a run. Behind us, the thugs

away. I could hear the distant sounds from them, including their yells, the dull

ed, I heard Ryan's faint voic

I was terrified that the

at urn. Only when the moonlight filtered thr

y feet, and his body w

and one of his eyes was swollen and

hing and found it w

hugs the night before. Ryan's em

rd home. Just as I turned the corner out

hadn't come back at

y searched her. S

t have some fun. Hey, did you even wash your hand a

I touched a woman. M

grew louder and

d his head on my shoulder and said with gre

weakly before fal

ht, the boss was cleaning up the wreckage. When he saw me, he turned his back and muttered angrily

and waited for

did

ighed and asked, "

if he doesn't get trea

he boss handed me a note.

s with me, drifting from place to place. I stared at

to cross those thugs either. If

llar note from the floor, and held

ly, he pulled fifty dollars from his poc

and leave. You're

times over grabbing the cleaver nearby

groan brought me

ed through the night. We f

blade, and Ryan's trembling body on my bac